All autobiography is self-indulgent.

All autobiography is self-indulgent.

Writing is manual labor of the mind: a job, like laying pipe.

Writing is manual labor of the mind: a job, like laying pipe.

Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even though they bring gifts.

Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even though they bring gifts.

If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then read more

If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it.

'That is indisputable,' was the answer, 'but in this country it is a good thing to kill an admiral from read more

'That is indisputable,' was the answer, 'but in this country it is a good thing to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others.'

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let read more

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be read more

I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.

A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world!

A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world!

Writing is like walking in a deserted street. Out of the dust in the street you make a mud pie.

Writing is like walking in a deserted street. Out of the dust in the street you make a mud pie.